Joe Elliott’s Down ‘N’ Outz’s version of “Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” has been a big hit on Joe’s weekly radio show on Planet Rock. Due to the many requests you can now stream the track on demand over at the Down ‘N’ Outz Facebook page: Down ‘n’ Outz – Facebook

During the late 70’s I was just a kid and (almost) ready to become a teenager. I’ve written before that I did not own many cool albums in the late 70’s. ELO (Out Of The Blue), Foreigner (S/T), Foreigner (Double Vision), KISS (Double Platinum), KISS (Dynasty), Paul Stanley (KISS – solo album) and Cheap Trick (At Budokan) were really the only albums I owned going into 1980.

I had some cool 45’s. Queen and Bad Company come to mind. Really. I was twelve years old in 1978 and just happy with what I had. My mainsource for finding out about new and “old” Rock Music (besides American Bandstand and Soul Train) was the mighty FM dial on my beloved radio.

Many of us know how it was to listen to FM back in the day. It was exhilarating to say the least. No MTV. No internet with youtube and band websites. Streaming music was stuff of science fiction back then. I hate sounding old, yet those late 70’s were the good old days. My FM radio I had received as a Christmas gift from my parents, when I was in sixth grade, was pure Rock N’ Roll gold to me back then.

I try to tell my daughters about how things used to be and they just giggle and shake their heads at me. They can’t picture a world without the internet being their #1 source for music. I can’t blame them at all. I used to shake my head at my Dad too, especially when he would tell me that a double-feature at the movies only cost a quarter.

I recently had two Classic Rock songs that began playing in my head, (no, not at the same time). These two songs I vividly remember hearing on the Connecticut FM stations: WCCC, WHCN and WPLR for years, stretching right into the 80’s and beyond. During those last two years of the 70’s decade, these two songs were a grand introduction of Melodic Hard Rock/AOR to my young ears. Here they are:

JEFFERSON STARSHIP – Jane (Freedom At Point Zero – 1979)

I remember when I first heard Mickey Thomas singing Jane and I was in awe that a guy could sing such high notes. I only thought Freddie Mercury could do that back then. Hey… my young ears weren’t introduced to Rob Halford just yet. Jane popped into my head and it made me realize that this song justifiably Rocks for me, after all these decades. I kinda get psyched out when I still hear it.

Side notes: Rock Music is also a damn cool Rockin’ song too. The amazing thing about this Jefferson Starship album is: I’ve never owned it! Hey… it doesn’t come cheap on CD right now either. Apparently Freedom At Point Zero is out of print. Try $40 (U.S.) used and $70 (U.S.) new. Those are the current prices on Amazon.com. Whoa!

TOTO– (S/T – 1978)

When I used to hold my FM radio up to my ears late at night, all those years ago, I would pray that Hold The Line would be the next song played. What is it about Hold The Line that makes it not lose its Rockin’ appeal? It’s a song that has been played on FM radio (and now) Classic Rock FM stations a million times since 1978. Now, every time I hear it, I get pumped up. I summarize that this song is obviously timeless… for me. I’m certain there are those of you who might agree.

Side Notes: Unlike Freedom at Point Zero, I didn’t let this Toto album get away. I never owned this Toto debut album on vinyl. Yes, it did take me years to finally buy it on CD too. If my Metal memory serves me correct, I bought this Toto CD back in 2000. Whoa! After listening to this entire Toto album, all I kept wondering to myself was: what in the hell took me so long to buy this incredible album of quality Classic Rock? Go figure.

DEEP PURPLE – Released back in October of 1990, Slaves and Masters became the thirteenth studio album from the ultra-legendary Deep Purple. This terrific album embodied the reunion of Rock icons Joe Lynn Turner (vocals) and Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), both formerly together in Rainbow, a Rock historic and outrageously important band founded by Ritchie Blackmore. The Joe Lynn Turner and Ritchie Blackmore partnership in Rainbow spanned three studio albums: Difficult To Cure (1981), Straight Between The Eyes (1982) and Bent Out Of Shape (1983).

My favorite song from Slaves and Masters is: King Of Dreams. Sure, as with this entire album, there are flashes of melodic Rainbow that seep out of King Of Dreams… all due in part to Joe Lynn Turners melodic and harmoniously contagious vocals. The tone of Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar does resonate Deep Purple, yet there are reminders of his Rainbow era that resonate in his style as well… in my Metal opinion.

King Of Dreams is just a solid melodic Hard Rock song that seems to carry with it a “no end in sight” shelf life. The sound heard on this album and King Of Dreams is extremely relevant to my ears. I find it incredible that I bought Slaves and Masters on cassette 22 years ago. I still have the cassette… Metal be thy name.

I hope you dig King Of Dreams as much as I do. If not, well, go listen to some Milli Vanilli and take some laxatives.

DEEP PURPLE (Mk V) on Slaves and Masters:

Joe Lynn Turner – vocals

Ritchie Blackmore – guitar

Roger Glover – bass

Jon Lord – keyboards

Ian Paice – drums

* The CD single photo for King Of Dreams is at top of this post. I found this CD single at an antique store on Friday, May 20th, 2011. Yes, an antique store. This is a “For Promotional Use Only” copy which contains both the album and edit version of King Of Dreams. The whole package is in mint shape too. I paid a whopping $3 (U.S. funds) for this piece of Deep Purple history! This King Of Dreams CD single is not the one which contains the track Fire In The Basement. The record labels on the backside of the liner notes are: BMG and RCA.

THE DOORS– Today was a gorgeous late Summer day where I live. Eastern Pennsylvania has had it’s fair share of oppressive humidity the last few months, so taking advantage of more mild temperatures with little to no humidity is essential for the mind, body and soul. Outdoor activities are once again in the fold for Stone and his family! So, the family and I set out for some mini golf this afternoon. My wife found what I consider to be the cleanest and most fun mini golf course I’ve ever seen or played. Sittler Golf Center is quite the place… with a driving range, pro-shop, take-out window and of course, mini golf. This cool place is located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.

There are those many moments in my life, where being somewhere and hearing a song sparks a memory. Today there were two songs I heard being played at Sittler Golf Center, they were Touch Me and Light My Fire by the beyond legendary – The Doors. Listening to these kind of Rock Classics while playing mini golf makes Stone very happy. The memory these two songs sparked in my mind were of the first vinyl album I ever owned by The Doors, which was 13.

It was an immediate vision in my minds eye, the album 13. I could see it as plain as day as I moved about the mini golf course today. 13 is a slab of classic vinyl I wish was still in my collection. All I kept thinking to myself as the vision of this album drifted through my mind was… why did I get rid of so many damn great albums years ago? This question gets brought up by me so frequently and the answers are always the same. CD’s were invented and I traded or sold many of my vinyl albums so I could buy… more vinyl albums and/or CD’s! It was an economic cycle I was in for years, buying and then selling my favorite albums. I guess now I know better, the collector and nostalgic parts of me helps to keep my collection intact.

Yes, I did not own a studio album from The Doors until after this “greatest hits” of 13 ran it’s Rockin’ course through my young Rock ‘N’ Roll hungry veins and consciousness. 13 was as terrific a starting point as I could ever ask for in exploring The Doors. I believe I bought 13 sometime around 1983. I remember choosing this 13 album over The Doors Greatest Hits album, due to my liking the album cover of 13 much better. 13 has all four members of The Doors on the cover, with of course Jim Morrison taking up the majority of the cover… and rightfully so. I can honestly remember, holding both albums, debating which one to buy, while standing in the record aisle at the Caldor department store.

Here is what The Doors – Greatest Hits looks like:

Granted, both album covers have a fantastic photo of Jim Morrison. My thinking back in ’83 was to get the “greatest hits” of The Doors that everyone else was passing over. Thinking back, it seemed most of my friends and cousins had bought the Greatest Hits from 1980. L.A. Woman, Not To Touch The Earth, Break On Through and Riders On The Storm are not on 13 and on the Greatest Hits from ’80. However, 13 did have… 13 songs versus the 10 songs heard on the “original” Greatest Hits album from ’80. So, three more songs plus I liked the album cover better, making 13 my first album of choice in adding The Doors to my record collection and life.

It’s funny, yet as I played 13 over and over again back then, my favorite song on this album was You’re Lost Little Girl. Why it’s funny is that this song was never a huge hit for The Doors. I can recall hearing this song being played on WCCC, WHCN and maybe WPLR up in very expensive Connecticut while growing up, only very rarely. Heck, compare this song to the timeless classics of Light My Fire, L.A. Woman, Riders On The Storm and Hello I Love You and forget about it… these songs were staples in the FM rotation of any reputable station back in the 80’s, today as well for some.

What lured me in first and foremost, upon my initial listening experiences of 13 was the voice of Jim Morrison. Whoa. Jim Morrison sounded like no other dude I was listening to of any band at the time. This wasn’t Rob Halford, Ozzy, Paul/Gene/Ace or Peter of KISS, Dennis DeYoung, Lou Gramm, Tom Petty, Bon Scott, Brian Johnson, Jeff Lynneor Robin Zander. Nope. This was a more mysterious voice I was being exposed to at this time of my young life. The previous names I mentioned were all being digested by my ears and mind around 1983, slightly before my “real” exposure to the Thrash Metal movement that enriched my life to this very moment. All of these vocalists I named off are extremely unique and I admire them all greatly.

The voice of Jim Morrison to this day, makes me wonder as to what exactly was going through his mind as he sang. The only other vocalist that I could consider mysterious, with an unreal alluring X -factor, is the late and so sadly missed by me and countless others… Ronnie James Dio. To me, the voice and persona of Jim Morrison was Rock ‘N’ Roll in it’s most profusely exposed state. Sure, I could rant on about the drugs and misfortune of Jim Morrison here, only that’s not what I take from this legend of Rock ‘N’ Roll. Just knowing at that young age back in ’83, that drug abuse defeated Jim Morrison was enough for me to understand the consequences of living such a lifestyle.

13 motivated me to buy this amazing book:

This fabulous biography, No One Here Gets Out Alive, was written by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman and was printed back in 1980. I remember being mesmerized by the content that I absorbed from these pages. Whoa… was I becoming schooled on the life and times of a Rock ‘N’ Roll legend. I was so fascinated by this book, that I can admit to reading it several times over before I graduated high school. I can remember that my mom was just happy that I was reading a book at all! So many kids had this book under their arm, in their locker or tucked away in their stash back in those early ’80’s that it was alarming.

My memory of watching this album, 13, spin around on the turntable seems like yesterday to me. Yes, I held that album jacket and stared at The Doors. I even read No One Here Gets Out Alive as this album played. Listening to Ray Manzarek on keyboards, Robby Kriegeron guitar and John Densmore on drums was a lesson in how American Rock Music was formulated in the late 1960’s and into the early 1970’s. I remember back in ’83, as I still do now, the feeling of amazement that The Doors released their debut album in 1967… when I was only 22 days from turning 1 years old!

The Doors and their 13 album only enlightened my adoration for Rock ‘N’ Roll, making me all the more better prepared for the onslaught of Metal Music that has been an important part of my life for so long now. This is not nonsense about The Doors actually pushing me head first into exploring so many other cool and historical bands when I was a teenager. I actually took a keen interest in listening to The Animals, The Rolling Stones, The Who and a slew of other Rock Music heavyweights back in those early to mid ’80’s due to this remarkable album called… 13.

* The Doors – 13was released back in November of 1970, on Elektra Records.

* The Doors – 13 was their first “greatest hits” album release.

* Apparently, 13 has never been released on CD. I’m going to find it on vinyl again someday… hopefully in the same mint condition as I once owned it!

ORION THE HUNTER – Let’s go back to those good ol’ ’80’s… again. When Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal seemed to mesh together for me, just like chocolate-caramel-fudge swirl ice cream. It was a decade when FM Radio really was the one-stop listening destination for great music. MTV proved to be the same for music videos. I can recall vividly hearing So You Ranon the FM dial… and I was hooked. Sure, it wasn’t a Heavy Metalsong I was hearing, nonetheless, it was Rockin’ along with a melodic sound that made me feel alright… and still does.

This Orion The Hunter album is yet another great piece of vinyl that I let go many Metal moons ago. It was released back in 1984 on Columbia Records. Now, from what I have seen, the CD sells “new” from $50 to $125 (U.S.). It appears Orion The Hunter is… out of print.

July 4th, 2010 – Independence Day: Happy Birthday U.S.A.! On July 4th, 1776, The United States of America declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, adopting the Declaration of Independence. What better way to celebrate July 4th, by listening to some patriotic Rock ‘N’ Roll songs that embody the spirit of America? Plus, I make no apologies to all of the Hollywood deadpans and political deadbeats that will be most offended by celebrating America, through song, on the 4th of July. For the rest of us Patriotic Americans out there… enjoy this list of songs that you might just crank up LOUD on this July 4th holiday!

What does the Electric Light Orchestra and Velvet Revolver have in common? The song – Can’t Get It Out Of My Head.

Here is the cover version of Can’t Get It Out Of My Head by Velvet Revolver:

Here is the original album version of Can’t Get It Out Of My Head by the Electric Light Orchestra:

Which version of Can’t Get It Out Of My Head do you like better? For me, it’s ELO’s original. Listening to ELO’s original just takes me back to when I first really became interested in music. The exploration and journey into the vast world of music, of Rock and Roll, was a profoundly exhilarating and personal experience for me as a kid. Just hearing the orchestration and the arrangements, makes me marvel at how this song was put together. There is emotion that seeps from both ELO’s original and Velvet Revolver’s cover version, only the ELO original really packs in the higher emotion, due to the string arrangements, in my Metal opinion.

Velvet Revolver substitutes an electric guitar courtesy of the ultra great Slash, in exchangefor the piano and synthesizer that ELO used, making for a more harder and edgier sound. Velvet Revolver makes Can’t Get It Out Of My Head really Rock, for certain… while still not losing sight of the song’s original outpouring of emotion, that it is so well known for. My personal feeling, is that this is one of Scott Weiland’s finest moments as a vocalist in his entire career… Stone Temple Pilots, his solo album and Velvet Revolver combined. I do embrace this cover version from Velvet Revolver, no question about it, making for one of my more favorite Velvet Revolver songs from their two albums.

This is the cover for the ELO single Can’t Get It Out Of My Head, released in 1974.

* Electric Light Orchestra released Eldorado, their fourth studio album, back in 1974.

* Velvet Revolver released Libertad, their second studio album, back in July of 2007.

At the end of my Metal day, I can easily recommend both versions of Can’t Get It Out Of My Head to anyone. Yet ELO’s original can never be topped.